Engine starting device



Oct. 28, 1958 G. L. NEELY ENGINE STARTING DEVICE Filed Aug. 13, 1957 INVENTOR GEORGE L. NEELV BY g wir FIGS ATTORNEYS United States `Patent O ENGINE STARTING DEVICE George L. Neely, Berkeley, Calif., assignor, by mesne assignments, to California Research Corporation, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Application August 13, 1957, Serial No. 677,954 s claims. (c1. 12s-187.5)

This invention relates to apparatus to aid in the starting of internal combustion engines at low temperatures, and particularly refers to a portable device which is adapted to receive. and perforate a single cartridge of flammable gas-pressurized liquid fuel and to controllably release or inject it into the air intake system of such an engine during the starting period.

This application is a continuation-impart of my copending application Serial No. 659,278, led May 15, 1957, entitled, Rotatable Valve Seat. It is particularly adapt ed to use the fuel cartridge unit described and claimed in my U. S. Patent 2,708,922, issued May 24, 1955, entitled, Means for Starting Internal Combustion Engines. That cartridge may be characterized as a sealed metal bulb or container for a charge of priming fuel consisting essentially of diethyl ether and maintained under superatmospheric pressure by a flammable gas, for example, methane. One end of the cartridge is reduced in diameter to form a neck, the end of which is sealed by a thin metal closure which may be perforated to release the pressurized charge by being pressed against a hollow needle.

The present invention differs from that of my previous U. S. Patent 2,730,093, issued January l0, 1956, and my copending application Serial No. 549,043, filed November 25, 1955, by the provision of means for retaining the pressurized fuel substantially within a perforated single cartridge, rather than in a larger expansion chamber for holding the contents of a plurality of fuel cartridges. It is characterized by a simple form -of discharge valve mounted in a longitudinal constricted passage leading directly from the perforating means to a muzzle, with means for reciprocating the muzzle to open the valve and release the starting fuel from the lowermost portion of the cartridge. Desirably, but not necessarily, a vertically mounted fitting may .be provided against which the muzzle may be pressed to actuate the discharge valve. This itting may, in turn, contain an inlet valve and these two valves may be differentially biased so that they open and close in a predetermined sequence which will be described in further detail below.

It is an object of this invention to provide a portable engine starting device of small size and simple construction which may be operated manually and also placed in condition so that it can only be operated by engagement with a special tting.

Another object is to provide a starting device of this character which is adapted to cooperate with a standard ized fitting for the air intake systems of a variety of types and sizes of small internal combustion engines of the type used in outboard motors, lawn mowers, and similar equipment.

Another object is to provide a starting fuel dispenser in which the contents of a single cartridge may be retained and released in a controllable manner and in small quantities, so that a single cartridge will serve for repeated starts of a small internal combustion engine.

These andother objects and advantages of the invention will be further apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a device illustrating this invention, with a cartridge in place therein and controlled by a manually actuated discharge valve.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary, longitudinal sectional view of the device of Figure 1, illustrating the discharge valve means arranged to engage a special vertically mounted fitting.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal and part sectional View illustrating a fitting adapted to be aligned with the arrangement of either Figures l or 2 to receive engine starting fuel therefrom.

Referring to the drawing and particularly to Figure l, reference numeral 10 illustrates a generally cylindrical Ibody, desirably of light metal, such as aluminum, provided with an outer cylindrical skirt 11 longitudinally grooved at 12 to prevent slipping when it is rotated by the hand. Projected upwardly within skirt 11 is a sleeve 13 threaded at 14 to receive a correspondingly threaded ring portion 15 of a cartridge holder generally designated 16.

The holder consists essentially of the ring 15 at one end, a semicylindrical intermediate portion 17, open at one side to enable a cartridge to be inserted or removed, and a head portion 18 having a recess 19 for engaging the hemispherical base of a fuel cartridge 20, desirably that of my U. S. Patent 2,708,922. Holder 16 is also longitudinally grooved as at 21 to facilitate grasping it rmly in one hand when it is to be rotated relatively to body 10 when a cartridge 20 is to be introduced or to be removed.

Sleeve 13 of body 10 is provided with a stepped longitudinal bore generally designated 22, the larger diameter portion 23 being adapted to receive the neck of cartridge 20, sealed therein by means of O-ring 24. The upper end of bore 22 is tapered outwardly to receive the en larged portion of cartridge 20, as illustrated. Bore 22 is restricted in diameter as at 25 to receive a hardened steel hollow stem perforating needle 26 having a base flange 27 seated in a counterbore 28.

An internally and externally threaded boss 29 projects downwardly from body 10, and is adapted to secure needle 26 within that body. Within boss 29 there is securely threaded a hollow cylindrical body 30 having a longitudinal passage 31 extending completely therethrough. A discharge control valve generally designated 32, which may be of the type described in my copending U. S. application Serial No. 659,278, is retained within bore 31. In this example, it consists essentially of a threaded member 33 to which is secured a hollow valve seat 34. `Between the two is a circumferential and usually tapered seal member 35 adapted to be received tightly against `-a correspondingly tapered bore in longitudinal passage 31. An axial stem 36 extends throughout the hollow threaded member 33 and hollow valve seat 34 to support a valve 37, so that both stem and valve are freely movable both longitudinally and rotatably within bore 31. The lower surface of valve 37 is faced with an appropriate vresilient sealing material, desirably nylon, which is resist- -ant to abrasion, Ias wellas to the solvent action of the engine starting fuel, so that it will make huid-tight contact with the upper end of hollow valve seat 34 to close bore 31. The upper end of stem 36 is secured to/a hollow spacer 38, which is retained .against -a suitable shoulder near -the inlet end of bore 31. A lresilient biasing means, for example, spring 39, extends between spacer 38 and the top of valve 37 to urge the latter normally into sealing engagement against the upper` end 1 of hollow valve seat 34 to retain the pressurized starting fuel within bore 31 `and the lower portion of cartridge 29.

In order to actuate the valve .arrangement just described to` release starting fluid from cartridge 20, a-rotatable and` reciproca-ble sleeve 40 surrounds the outer end of cylindrical body 3i).` Desirably, ano-ring 4l forms a seal between these elements. Near the outer end of sleeve 40 it is fianged inwardly at 42 to retain a hollow plug member 43, the outer end of which extends through the restricted bore of flange 42 and is surrounded `by a. fiat annular sealingv gasket 44. Sleeve 4b, in this example, extends for a short distance beyond resilient gasket 44 to form what may be termed a muzzle 45. 1f no sealing function is required, the end of plug 42 may be flush with the end of sleeve 4tl, and gasket 44- may be omitted.

The inner end of plug 43 extends axially into the outer end of bore 3l in body 30 and is bifurcated or provided withra` transverse slot 46 to receive the lower end of axial valve stem 36, which is flattened as at 47 to be received into the slot 46 so that rotation of plug 43 as by means of sleeve 40, will also rotate stem 36 and valve seat 37.

Outside of sleeve 40 is a second movable sleeve 4S having an intermediate inwardly flanged shoulder 49 adapted to cooperate with -a correspondingly outwardly extending shoulder on inner sleeve 40. The outer or lower end of sleeve 48 encloses muzzle 4S of the inner sleeve 40 for a purpose which will be discussed below. At the uppermost end of outer sleeve 48 is an outwardly directed retaining fiange f) over which a threaded hollow retaining sleeve 5l is adapted to be placed and secured to the -outer threads of boss 29, which extends downwardly from the end of body l0, as already described.

Between the top of outer sleeve 48 yand an outwardly extending shoulder 52 on body 3l) is a reversible spacer cup 53, for a purpose which will be discussed in more detail below. Between the bottom of cup 53 and the top of the inner sleeve 4t) is a spring 54 adapted to urge the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve 48 downwardly with respect to the cup and the body 3b. Thus, when muzzle 45 is engaged by an annular face, such as that of the top of the inner. member of the fitting of -Figure 3, the inner sleeve may be pushed inwardly and upwardly over the cylindrical body 30. Hollow plug 43 will be carried along to cause the bottom of the slot 47 to engage the lower end of axial stem 36 and thereby force the valve seat 37 away from its normal contact with the tixed valve scat34. This will permit starting fuel to pass outwardly through bore 31 and the bore of plug 43. lf there should be dirt or debris between the valve and its seat, as evidenced by fluid leakage when the muzzle is withdrawn from` the fitting, manual rotation of the outer sleeve 48 will rotate both the inner sleeve 4t) and plug 43, so that the slot '46 will impart torque to the fiattened end 47 of' stem 36 which will rotate the valve 37 with respect tothe fixed valve seat 34. This will usu-ally dislodge whatever obstruction 'there may be at that point, so that spring 39 will cause the valve to close tightly against the stationary valve seat 34. This feature is described and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 659,278.

Figure 3 illustrates a preferred embodiment of a separately mounted fitting `against which muzzle of the valve discharge arrangement of Figure 1 may be pressed. -It is specifically adapted to the arrangement of' Figure 2, which will be discussed later. The fitting of this example consists of a generally cylindrical body 55 provided with a threadedend 56 adapted to be received in a flange 57 secured by screws 58 to the wall 59 of an engine air intake, air cleaner, manifold, or the like. At the outer end of' body 55, is a protecting cup 6d, normally closed by spring-hinged dust cap 61. This cap is illustrated in closed position by solid lines in Figure 3, and in its opened position by the dotted lines extending between Figures 2 and 3 to show their functional relation in use.

Within the body 55 is `a cylindrical bore generally designated 62, which is reduced in diameter at 63 `and is slighly beveled at 64 to form a valve seat. Slidably mounted within these bores is a stepped cylindrical sleeve 65, sealed by O-ring 651 and provided with a ange 66 and a spring 67, so that it is normally urged upwardly within bores 62 yand 63. An axial passage 68 extends throughout sleeve and is adapted to receive a valve member such as a threaded metal nail 69 having a conical head Such an arrangement is readily assembled within body by driving the nail into axial passage 68 with the parts in the position shown, thus forming a valve closure for that bore.

Desirably, the spring 67 in the tting of Figure 3 is not stro-ng as the spring 390i the discharge nozzle of Figures l and 2. rlfhis facilitates the initial sealing of the annular top end face of sleeve 65 of the fitting securely against the gasket 44 within muzzle 45 of thetdischarge nozzle as they are pressed together. By the time the weaker spring 67 is fully compressed, the conical head 70 ot' nail 69 will be move away from the chamfered valve seat 64 of the fitting, leaving a clear passage for starting liquid which may be released by the discharge nozzle.

This release is accomplished by continuing to press the muzzle 45 against the end face of sleeve 65 of the itting, so that spring 39 is compressed by relative motion between inner sleeve 40 and outer sleeve 48, and the axial stem 36 urges valve 37 from its normally sealed relation` against valve seat 34. This relation of discharge and inlet valves is described and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 549,043.

The arrangement just described for Figure l is adapted` for operation either by pressing muzze 45 against the fitting of Figure 3 or by manually retracting the outer sleeve 43 and inner sleeve 40. This will open the discharge valve 32 by the coaction of outer sleeve 4S, inner sleeve 4t), plug 43, and axial valve stem 36, as already described above. To facilitate this operation, a collar 71 having an outwardly hanged base or equivalent finger grip 72 may be permanently or temporarily placed around the outer sleeve 48 in the position shown in Figure 1. The muzzle 45 may then be held as illustrated within an air intake manifold inlet 73er in an equivalent position with respect to the engine to be started. rl`he device must be placed in a vertical position, so that manual retraction of collar 7l, as just described, will permit only liquid starting fuel 2d?. from the lowermost portion of cartridge 20.

to be introduced. The pressurizing gas 202 will obviously remain at the top of cartridge 2t) so long as any liquid remains therein.

Referring now to Figure 2, if it is desired to arrange the discharge valve actuating means so that manual or accidental operation is impossible, for safety reasons or any other purpose, certain parts of the discharge valve mechanism are reversed. Referring to that ligure, the retaining sleeve 51 is first threaded ofi of boss 29, so that sleeve 51, as well as outer sleeve 48 and inner sleeve 40, may be slipped off of body 30. This leaves spacer cup 53 and spring S4 enclosing that body. By removing these two elements and reversing the direction of cup 53 so that it assumes the inverted position shown in Figure 2, the free space which had been permitted in the arrangement of Figure l between shoulder 52 and the end of cup 43, will be eliminated. Reassembly of the discharge valve mechanism in this position by replacement of sleeves 40 and 4S and retainer 5l will thus provide a solid abutment from body 3i)r through cup 53 to the end face 52 of outer sleeve 48, which will prevent relative longitudinal motion between sleeve 43 and body 3b. Thus, the only way that inner sleeve 49 can be actuated to open valve 32 is by c pressing its muzzle 45 against a small diameter inlet means such as a tting like that of Figure 3. In this manner there are provided two alternative arrangements for the same essential components, so that the several parts of the device of Figures l and 2 are identical.

Referring again to Figure 3, if it is desired to mount this fitting in the vertical position shown and at a point remote from the engine intake system, a conduit 74 may lead from the engine air intake manifold (not shown) to a compression fitting generally designated 75, which may be threaded into the lower portion of ange 57 to receive liquid starting fuel from tting 55.

In operation, starting with the device empty, the cantridge holder 16 is threaded partly oi of body 10 so that a lilled cartridge 20 may be inserted with its neck Within the tapered bore of sleeve 13. Rotation of holder 16 with respect to body 10, by holding one part in each hand, will force the thin closure of the cartridge against perforating needle 36, so that communication is established between bore 31 in the valve body 30 and the interior of cartridge 20. This may be carried out with the device in any position.

For use, as has been already explained, the valved outlet at the opposite end of the passage from the perforatng means is actuated by reciprocating sleeve 40, which may either be done by engaging muzzle 45 with a suitable tting, such as that of Figure 3, or by arranging the discharge valve mechanism as in Figure 1, and actuating the outer sleeve 48 manually as by collar 71. In either case, the device should be in a vertical position so that only liquid is released from the lowermost position of cartridge 20.

In conclusion, it will be understood that the arrangements shown are illustrative only, and are not intended to limit the applications of the invention and the functional relations of the cooperating parts. Accordingly, all such modification and changes that come within the scope of the appended claims are intended to be embraced thereby.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for introducing a charge of starting fuel into the intake of an internal combustion engine, cornprising a dispenser body having a straight, longitudinally unobstructed constricted passage provided at its upper end with means to retain and to perforate a cartridge of ammable gas-pressurized liquid fuel, and a single valved outlet in the lower end of said passage terminating in a muzzle, said muzzle being reciprocable for actuating said valved outlet to release said fuel from the lowermost part of said cartridge into an engine air intake.

2. Apparatus according to claim l, in 'which said muzzle is adapted to engage a vertically mounted liquid-receiving tting communicating with said engine intake system.

3. Apparatus according to claim l, with the addition of an outer sleeve enclosing and engageable with said muzzle, a reversible cup aligned with said sleeve, and an abutment on said body to be received in said cup, said cup being selectively adapted, in one position, to engage said sleeve and said abutment to immobilize said sleeve with respect to said body, and, in the reversed position, to said sleeve to be movable with respect to said body.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, with the addition of a linger grip detachably secured to said outer sleeve for manually actuating said reciprocable muzzle.

5. A system for introducing a charge of starting fuel into the intake system of an internal combustion engine, comprising a dispenser body having a longitudinal constricted passage provided at one end with means to retain and to perforate a cartridge of flammable gas-pressurized liquid fuel, a valved outlet in the outer end of said passage terminating in a muzzle, said muzzle being reciprocable for actuating said valved outlet, a vertically mounted liquid-receiving fitting having a longitudinal passage therethrough communicating with the intake system of said engine, a valve in said passage, and reciprocable means for actuating said valve, said rstand secondnamed valve-actuating means being differentially resiliently biased to a closed position, so that when the muzzle of said body is pushed against said iitting, said firstand second-named actuating means engage to open said valves sequentially in the reverse of the order named above to admit liquid fuel to said engine intake system.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,016,113 Lambert et al. Oct. 1, 1935 2,310,073 Greig Feb. 2, 1943 2,518,299 Fernandez Aug. 8, 1950 2,585,254 Kochner Feb. 12, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 289,664 Great Britain May 3, 1928 21,467 Finland Dec. 8, 1946 

